The History of Aircraft Pilots: Pioneers and Legends

From the first hot air balloons launched through the Montgolfier Brothers on the tragic disappearance of Amelia Earhart, a brief history of aviators holds great adventure and mystery that influences generations of aviation amateurs and professionals.


The history of aircraft pilots began most readily while using Montgolfier Brothers, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne, early aviators of hot air balloons. In 1783, the brothers successfully demonstrated their designs on the public, capturing the interest of the world, including King Louis XVI of France. Their initial demonstration indicated that people could fly as much as 6,600 feet (2,000 m) on the distance of merely one.2 miles (2 km).

During the 1800s, aviators began to develop new concepts for aircraft, most notably gliders. Several pilots, many of which were extremely wealthy, became highly popular while using public with the era. Sir George Cayley was christened ever as the 'Father of Aerial Navigation' together with his invention from the curved aerofoil that helped create lift on aircraft. Otto Lilienthal flew 1000s of flights aboard his gliders, eventually developing a way to control their lift and direction before becoming possibly the 1st victim of the tragic aircraft crash.

The push for heavier-than-air flight took over as the prominent motivation for first time designs, growing a history of aircraft pilots. Clement Ader, a French engineer, flew his steam-powered plane at the height of eight inches for 165 feet in 1890. Samuel Pierpont Langley developed a aircraft having a gas engine. However, despite extreme funding from your government, his design ended in crashes to the Potomac River. Finally, in 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright became probably the most famous aviators in history making use of their successful flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Above left: The Dream of Flight. (Supplied through the Library of Congress; Public Domain;
Above right: Avion III of Clement Ader. (Supplied by Roby at Wikimedia Commons; Creative Commons Attribution;

During the era involving the two World cancun airport taxi Wars, the history of aircraft pilots was greatly advanced while using plethora of aviation technology at the fingertips of pilots all over the world. Leftover military training craft were adopted by a large number of aviators, most notably during the era with the barnstormers, pilots who conducted dangerous aerial stunts for crowds of patrons.

Perhaps the most well-known aviator in history is Charles Lindbergh. As a young pilot for your U.S. Air Mail, Lindbergh stunned the united states by performing the very first non-stop flight across the Atlantic aboard his single-seat Spirit of St. Louis. After being awarded the Medal of Honor, Lindbergh's fame became marred in infamy with the kidnapping and murder of his infant son in addition to his isolationist political motivations using the America First movement prior to World War II.

Using his extreme wealth, Howard Hughes secured his place in the of aviators with a wide array of aviation exploits. He filmed the successful big-budget movie 'Hell's Angels,' which widely used dozens of aircraft in unique aerial shots. Later, Hughes built the H-1 Racer, which he used to set world speed records. He purchased and grew the Trans World Airlines company, helping to the develop the airline industry since it remains today. However, he is perhaps remembered for your invention of the H-4 Hercules, the greatest plane constructed on the time. However, this seaplane took over as the joke of several designers who dubbed it the 'Spruce Goose,' after it didn't fly.

Establishing her role as a possible aircraft pilot was a challenge to Amelia Earhart. Previously, aviators were primarily women. However, with all the fame she gained of flying solo over the Atlantic, she leveraged her public image by establishing a corporation for women pilots, The Ninety-Nines. After teaching aviation at Purdue University, Earhart again attempted to expand her fame by trying to fly all over the world. In one with the most famous unsolved missing persons cases in history, Earhart disappeared near Howland Island inside Pacific in 1937.

Although the history of aviators includes literally thousands of groundbreaking individuals from military aviators to adventurers, that is a is dotted with a large number of legends. Each of these people, while influencing pilots that belongs to them era, have also become focal points for new generations of fliers, ensuring not able to aviation will continue to hold stories as interesting as any in history.
Above left: Howard Hughes. (Supplied through the Library of Congress; Public Domain;
Above right: Amelia Earhart. (Supplied by the Library of Congress; Public Domain;
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